Aviation

At Motley Rice, we work to help aviation disaster survivors and victims’ families, as well as victims of passenger rights violations. Our aviation attorneys have handled a wide variety of aviation cases, representing plane crash victims, both passenger and crew, from the United States and abroad. We recognize that survivors and family members of victims have many concerns following an aviation disaster and may face considerations of complex legal rights and actions. We approach each case with the goals of:

Reassuring our clients that we can handle the intricacies related to investigating and litigating their cases

Relieving our clients of as many burdens as we can

Giving our clients a voice at a time in their lives when they feel the most vulnerable.

We not only seek justice and compensation for our clients, but also seek accountability from defendants and improvements in aviation safety and security standards.

Aviation Brochure

Our Aviation Litigation Team

As one of the largest plaintiffs’ firms in the United States, Motley Rice has the professional experience and financial resources to investigate, litigate and resolve aviation crash cases in the U.S. court system on behalf of clients residing virtually anywhere in the world. We also work with foreign lawyers on cases outside of the U.S. Motley Rice has represented victims in litigation against airlines, manufacturers, maintenance contractors, airports, air traffic control and government entities.

Attorney Mary Schiavo, who often serves as a CNN Aviation Analyst and is the former U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General, leads our aviation team, which includes attorney Jim Brauchle, a former navigator, as well as other attorneys and support staff. Motley Rice also employs three jet pilots, an aviation maintenance expert, a former flight attendant and multilingual translators. When an air tragedy occurs, we conduct our own extensive research for the litigation process as well as thoroughly analyze government investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the aviation investigative agency on location for an international crash.

International, Multinational and Cross-Border Litigation
Motley Rice, along with foreign co-counsel in the country of each crash, has been involved in international cases concerning crashes in countries such as Brazil, France and Canada. We believe that seeking improvements in aviation safety standards in our own country is important and that the same safety standards should be in place regardless of flight location and destination.

Our aviation attorneys have worked with clients and/or on crashes in all 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as well as the countries shown in blue on the map.

Compassion, Guidance and Support
Through our work with our clients and our aviation-related experience prior to joining Motley Rice, we understand the pain, confusion and questions that often follow tragic events and know that many clients feel overwhelmed by the emotional circumstances which brought them to us. While coping with the loss of a loved one or the devastation of a permanent injury, survivors and family members face numerous other obstacles such as medical expenses, loss of income and other important decisions that must be made. The option to pursue legal action may be a last consideration.

Our attorneys recognize that the idea of bringing a lawsuit can be daunting — but it doesn’t have to be. We consider it an essential part of our job to guide our clients through every step of the process, helping to lessen any anxiety they feel, and giving them the support, information and means to take control of terrible circumstances.

If you or someone you know is interested in seeking legal recourse due to wrongful death or personal injury as a result of a plane crash, please contact Motley Rice aviation attorneys Mary Schiavo or James Brauchle by email or call our 24-Hour Aviation Hotline at 1.800.868.6456.

Types of Aviation

Motley Rice seeks to hold accountable those responsible in personal injury or wrongful death cases that involve aviation crashes or incidents. Cases that we have litigated or are currently litigating include the following types of aviation:

Aviation lawsuits can include wrongful death, personal injury, product liability, strict liability, class actions and multinational and cross-border litigation. Our team works with families and family probate attorneys to resolve these and other complex legal issues.

Facing Tough Opposition

Motley Rice is determined to hold accountable airlines, airports, maintenance companies and manufacturers around the globe when their services and equipment result in injury or death. When dealing with air crashes, injuries and/or deaths, plaintiffs’ attorneys must litigate against some of the most well-funded defense teams in the world. Motley Rice attorneys have litigated cases against defendants that include:

Airlines and Charters

Air France

Malaysia Airlines

AirTran Airways, Inc.

Midway Airlines, Corp.

Alaska Airlines, Inc.

National Airlines, Inc.

American Airlines

Northwest Airlines Corp.

AMR Corporation

Pinnacle Airlines

Asiana Airlines Co. Ltd.

Rico Airlines

Chalk’s Ocean Airways

Singapore Air

Colgan Air, Inc.

Southwest Airlines

Comair, Inc.

SwissAir

Continental Airlines, Inc.

TAM Airlines

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

TEM Enterprises, d/b/a Casino Express

EgyptAir

UAL Corporation

JetBlue

United Air Lines, Inc.

Jet Logistics, Inc.

US Airways, Inc.

Kalitta Air, LLC

US Airways Group

MK Airlines

West Caribbean Airways

Manufacturers

Airbus

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Beechcraft

Northrup Grumman

The Boeing Company

Parker Hannifin

Bombardier/Canadair

Piper

Cessna

Pratt & Whitney Canada

Eclipse Aviation Corporation

Pratt & Whitney Engine

Embraer

Sikorsky

General Electric Aviation

Safran

Honeywell International Inc.

Turbomeca

Services

Raytheon

United Technologies Ports and Security Companies

Rolls-Royce

Argenbright Security, Inc.

Thales

Burns International Security

Services Corporation

Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France

Pinkerton’s Inc.

Congonhas Airport, São Paulo, Brazil

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Globe Aviation Services

Securicor, PLC

Halifax International Airport

Securitas AB

Huntleigh USA Corporation

Toronto Pierson International Airport

ICTS International NV

Washington, D.C. Airports Authority

Massachusetts Port Authority

The Federal Aviation Administration

Metropolitan Airports Authority

Various state and federal governmental authorities

Our Commitment

We are here to protect the interests of our clients and their loved ones, and will invest the resources and time necessary to work toward the best possible outcome. Each air crash has its unique set of facts and circumstances, but the common thread among all the families we have represented is the desire to know why this happened, and we strive to help them get answers.

Aviation Cases

Motley Rice’s aviation team represents the family of a soldier who tragically died Jan. 15, 2014 when the U.S. Army-owned Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter he was co-piloting malfunctioned and crashed during a training flight at Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Ga.

No matter what you call them, it’s evident that drones are beginning to crowd our skies. With the massive growth of UAV enthusiasts as well as interest in commercial applications, the FAA is working to safely integrate drones into the nation’s airspace.

Our aviation team has represented survivors and the families of victims in general aviation crashes such as private and on-demand flights, including incidents involving single-engine planes and long-range business jets

Commercial plane crashes can be exceedingly complex, especially when they involve cross-border or international aspects. When these tragic incidents occur, our experienced aviation attorneys help to hold the appropriate parties responsible.

Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Motley Rice launched a worldwide discovery effort revealing numerous security shortcomings and related to our efforts in In re September 11 Litigation, including Bavis v. United Airlines.